First Canadian Place

First Canadian Place is a 72-floor skyscraper in the Financial District of Toronto, Canada, at the corner of King and Bay streets. It is 298 metres (978 feet) tall and is the global headquarters of the Bank of Montreal. From its completion in 1975 until June 2025 it was the tallest building in Canada, until a tower called The One passed it.

Its outside is covered with white Italian marble, which is unusual in a city where most towers are glass, steel and concrete.

How it was built

It is named after Canada's first bank, the Bank of Montreal. The firm B+H Architects designed it with Edward Durell Stone as a design consultant. The site was the last corner of King and Bay to be rebuilt, and developers fought over it. When a new mayor, David Crombie, was elected, new rules banned skyscrapers, and it took three years of lobbying before permission was given. The tower looks almost the same as Stone's Standard Oil Building in Chicago, except its windows run vertically instead of horizontally.

Records and details

When finished in 1975 it was the tallest building outside New York and Chicago, and the tallest in the Commonwealth until the Petronas Towers opened in 1998. The Bank of Montreal logo at its top was the highest sign in the world until 1997. It has 29 elevators, including double-decked ones, and it is linked to Toronto's underground PATH walkway.

On the globe

The model shows the tall white marble tower with narrow dark windows. Look for the long vertical stripes.